


Surviving Christmas

by kho



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Christmas, First Time, Gen, M/M, Nostalgia, danny misses his baby girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 16:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7721176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kho/pseuds/kho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why Christmas in August? I dunno.  I was watching a show.  Got inspired by the single dad sadly handing off his kids to his ex wife Xmas day.  </p><p>When Grace is in London for the week of Christmas, Steve tries to make Danny's holiday happy again even though Danny's not making it very easy.  (set post-season 6)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surviving Christmas

**Monday, 7 Days Out**

“So you’ll come,” Steve says, leaning over the passenger seat to shout out the window at Danny.

“I’ll think about it,” Danny says, offering a tepid smile and a short little wave.

“You’re coming Danny,” Steve yells even louder as Danny reaches his doorway. “It’s Christmas!”

“Of that much I am aware,” Danny mumbles to himself, unlocking his door and going inside without saying anything else to Steve.

  
  


**Tuesday, 6 Days Out**

“Hey, Monkey,” Danny says, grinning and closing his eyes.  “I miss you baby.”

“I’ve only been gone three days Dad.”

Danny rolls his eyes at Steve.  “Tell you what i don’t miss is that 15 year old sarcasm.”

“I miss you too, Dad, I’m sorry I’m gone.”

“What, what are you talking about, no,” Danny says, frowning and biting at his lip.  “Sorry for what?”

“I mean, I didn’t think about it ahead of time Dad, that it was this week.  I mean of course I knew it was Christmas in like, a distant kind of way, but it didn’t dawn on me that I was leaving you all alone.”

“Baby, I’m perfectly fine.  You’re having a Proper British Christmas for once in your life, you just enjoy it,” Danny says, darting a glance over at Steve.  When Steve offers him an encouraging smile Danny frowns daggers at him.  

“We always spend Christmas together, no matter what,” Grace says, and Danny wonders if the tears in her voice are indicative of her actually missing him or if she just feels guilty.  He hopes it’s the former, he’s tried so hard to alleviate any guilt she may actually have.  “I should have asked Mom to bump it back a week.”

“Listen to me,” he says, turning his head towards the window for as much privacy as he can get in a compact sports car being driven by Steve McGarrett down the H2.  “Of course I miss you.  Of course I wish you were here.  But you know what I wish more than anything else?  Is for you to be happy. So if that means I spend Christmas here and you go to London with your mother and Charlie and Stan for Christmas abroad, then that’s what it means.  Okay monkey?  So wipe those tears out of your voice and put  on a happy face and go tell Old Ben he’s the most obnoxious Clock Tower to ever tell time for me okay?”

Her laugh is better than any rendition of Silver Bells and soothes his soul and it always will, forever and ever.  “Actually it’s Big Ben not Old Ben, and it’s the bell part not the clock part.”

“Listen, smarty pants, just do what your father tells you to do.”

She laughs again.  “Okay Danno, I’ll tell it.”

“Also tell it it’s disgustingly phallic.  Like… ridiculously.”

The snort is loud enough that even Steve hears it and laughs as well.  “Dad you’re gross.”

He hangs up the phone with a smile on his face and a lump in his throat and Steve reaches over and gives him a charlie horse that makes him squawk and punch Steve in the arm.  “What was that for?!”

“You’re coming to mine for Christmas, Danny.  I’m done asking.”

Danny closes his eyes and rests his head back against the seat and ignores how comforting it is to have Steve’s big hand covering his knee absently massaging the left over tingles from the charlie horse.  “I told you, Steven.  I’ll consider it.”

 

**Wednesday, 5 Days Out**

Danny stares down at the calendar and draws angry little red devil faces on the 24th of December because he’s small, and petty, and angry, and it’s getting really hard to pretend anymore.

“You’re coming, you know why,” Steve asks as he pokes his head into Danny’s office.

Danny sighs and looks up. “Because you are going to handcuff me to your bannister and force me to?”

“Because it’s your fault i can’t have Eggnog so you’re going to sit there and suffer the eggnoglessness with me while watching everyone else tie one on,” Steve says with an eyebrow wiggle.

Danny rolls  his eyes.  “My fault. Steven, I  _ saved your life _ by giving you my liver, and you’re going to somehow make that mean that it’s  _ my fault _ that you can’t drink alcohol anymore?”

“Yet, can’t drink alcohol yet,” Steve says, pointing a finger at him.  “And you owe me a commiseration.”

“Just… go do your job, please,” Danny says, rubbing agitatedly at the bridge of his nose.  “I haven’t decided.”  
  
  


**Thursday, 4 Days Out**

“You’re coming."

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I said okay.”

“Okay you’re coming, or okay, shut up?”

Danny grins.  “Okay shut up.”

Steve’s knuckles turn white on the steering wheel.  “You’re coming.”

  
  


**Friday, 3 Days Out**

They’re eating take out Chinese in the conference room and Danny’s enjoying his egg roll when Kono leans forward and says, “So Adam and I are gonna head over to Steves at 3, you want us to pick you up?”

Danny blinks at her.  “You too?”

She grins.  “I mean, you’re going right?  Unless you wanna go sooner.”

“Abby and I are going around 11, we can pick you up if you want,” Chin offers, grinning.

Steve nods.  “Or just come when you wake up.  Come at 9!”

Danny reaches up to rub the back of his neck, a tension headache shooting up into his brain.  “Guys listen.”

“You’re not spending Christmas alone,” Kono says.  “I’ll fucking kidnap you if I have to.”

“What she said,” Chin pipes in.

“Ya know, not to be the voice of dissent or anything, but…. He’s a grown adult, if he’d rather spend Christmas at his home why can’t we just let him,” Abby asks, frowning softly.

Danny nods, pointing his chopsticks at her, dropping lo mein all over the floor.  “Says the wisest woman in the room, thank you, Abby.”

“I mean afterall, we could all just show up at his house, with all the food and presents and mess and people and everything, and bring the party to him,” she finishes, and her ending grin is positively wicked.

“Horrible woman,” Danny says, glaring at her.  “Horrible.”

Steve leans his shoulder into Danny’s.  “Seriously, though man, all kidding aside.  You’re coming.  End of story.”

“Steve.”

Steve shakes his head.  “I’m not hearing it.”

“I swear to God, people, I am a fucking god damned adult,” Danny yells, finally losing it and throwing his container down.  “I have not decided if it will be less depressing for me to come to your stupid party where everyone is happy and fucking jolly and paired up and I’m in the corner alone without even my kids or curled up on my couch at home with the lights off under a blanket watching Miracle on 34th Street fifteen times, okay?  When I decide that, I’ll let you know!”

He walks out then and slams the door on Steve when he tries to follow.  He locks it for good measure and avoids looking at Steve’s crestfallen face.

 

 

**Saturday, 2 Days Out**

“Please don’t,” Danny says, as Steve opens his mouth when Danny stands to leave. “Steve, please?”

“Listen to me, there is no universe where I let you spend Christmas fucking Day on your couch under a blanket watching old black and white movies that make you cry.”

Danny smiles softly. “Who said they make me cry?”

“Danny,” Steve says, spreading his hands wide.  “Please.  I know you.”

Danny nods. “I know.  And listen, I know why you’re doing this, and babe, I love you for it.  Okay?   I really do.”

“It’s Christmas, Danny,” Steve says, looking up at him pleadingly.  “Christmas is about family, and we’re your family.  We’re not all of your family, but we’re your  _ family _ .”

“I just don’t know,” Danny says, lump forming in his throat again, but this time he’s not sure if it’s because he feels alone for Christmas or because he’s so touched that Steve refuses to let him.  “I really, I don’t even know which will make me want less to jump off of a cliff.  As soon as I figure that out, I promise.  I’ll let you know.”

  
  


**Sunday, 1 Day out**

Danny pokes his head out of his blanket and hits pause on It’s A Wonderful Life when he hears his front door slam open.  “Steve?”

“Yup,” Steve says, bounding over the back of the couch to land right in the spot where Danny’s legs had been moments before.  “I’ve brought the largest tub of ice cream I could find at the store, and chocolate.  Mary says you’re part woman anyway, so it should do the trick for you.”

Danny glares at him but takes the icecream and a spoon from him anyway, throwing the lid across the room and digging into the cookie dough flavored awesomeness with a barely contained moan.  “Sprinkle those m&m’s on top,” he says, pointing to the bag in Steve’s hand.  “And if you think you can bring over hot chocolate Swiss Miss shit mix and I’m gonna let you make that in my microwave you got another thing coming.  I’ve got Godiva in my pantry, I’ll make it  _ over the stove _ when this movie’s over.”

Steve sprinkles he m&m’s over the icecream, tucks the blanket around himself and snuggles deep into the cushions next to Danny.  “You know, I’ve never actually seen this one.”

Danny blinks at him.  “Shut up.”

Steve looks at him.  “What?”

“Okay,” Danny says, throwing the blanket off of himself and standing.  “Fuck my first plan, I’m making the hot chocolate now and we’re gonna start this over because Steven McGarrett I cannot let you go one more Christmas without seeing this God damn movie.”

Steve blinks up at him and swallows a bite of icecream.  “What, it’s good?”

“Animal,” Danny mumbles to himself as he heads to the kitchen.  “Grew up in a fucking barn.”

Twenty minutes into It’s a Wonderful Life Steve leans in closer to Danny and whispers, “So since I’m watching this with you--”

“And Miracle on 34th Street, I can’t believe you haven’t seen that one either.”

Steve grins and lays down on the couch, propping his head on Danny’s legs.  “Since I’m watching these with you, you’ll come tomorrow right?”

Danny looks him in the eye and feels every last semblance of fight bleed out of him.  “Yeah,” he says finally.  “I’ll come.”

  
  


**Monday, Christmas**

Danny arrives just after 11 with Chin and Abby and Chin turns and tells him to wait a second and tells Abby to make him stay.  Danny frowns at Abby.  “What?”

Abby shrugs, but her eyes dance.

“You came,” Steve says, bouncing out the door like a golden retriever puppy.  “Okay, come on, come in!”

Danny half walks and half stumbles as Steve pushes him inside and his jaw falls open to see his Mom, Dad, and sisters all sitting in front of the tree.  Stella’s got a bow tied around her neck and jingles it when he walks in.

“Are you kidding me,” Danny says, whirling around to look at Steve.  “You… are you  _ kidding _ me?”

Steve grins and opens his arms.  “Merry Christmas!  Now do you see why I was so pushy about you coming?”

Clara reaches him first and if Danny’s crying as her arms wrap around him he’s fine with it because his  _ family _ is here,  _ both _ of his families are here, and it’s not as good as Grace being home but it’s good. Oh, it’s so good.

“Steven arranged it with us months ago when we found out Gracie was gonna be in London,” Eddie said, clapping a hand to Steve’s shoulder.  Danny about knocks Eddie over when he throws himself into a hug.  “Good to see you too, son.”  The back slapping is loud enough to drown out what may have been an embarrassingly wet laugh on Danny’s part.

The next few hours are spent talking and laughing and gnoshing on everything from apple pie to lasagna to cookies to turkey.  

“I helped,” Mary exclaims, lifting up the carving knife and causing half the table to duck down in fear.  “Yeah you did babe, you helped lots,” Stella counters, gently taking the carving knife out of Mary’s hands, and how unshocking it is to Danny that those two bonded like gangbusters.  

Eric maybe flirts with Mary but gets dual glares from both Stella and Steve so he knocks it down to half.

As the evening winds down and the dishes are being cleared, Danny grabs Steve by the elbow and steers him into the spare bedroom off to the side of the stairs and shuts the door behind him.  “You did this.”

Steve nods, grinning.  “I did.”

“Why would… how did you....”  Danny steps back and crosses his arms and stares in wonderment up at Steve’s goofy lopsided grin.  “Why did you do this for me?”

Steve rolls his eyes.  “Because I love you, Danny.”

Danny nods and then leans forward, grabs onto Steve’s bicep and tilts up, presses sticky apple-pie-covered lips to Steve’s lasagna-flavored ones and says thank you the only way he can think to.

“I woulda flown them out sooner if that’s all it took to get you in my bed, Danno,” Steve says, voice pitched low in a way that goes straight to the base of Danny’s spine.

“I’m not in your bed yet,” Danny says, sliding his leg between Steve’s and pressing in close.  “But if your aim was just to get me in your bed, you overshot by a lot.”  He grins.  “Not that I’m complaining. Good to see what I’m worth to you.”

“Hey, you two boys stop making out and come out here and help us clean up,” Stella yells, slapping her hand against the closed door.

“Oooh, are they finally doing it,” Mary hisses, cackling evilly as she tries to turn the door handle.  Steve grabs it and holds it shut.  “Hey come on, man, picture or it didn’t happen, Steve!”

Steve looks down at Danny with fond amusement.  “To be continued?”

Danny nods.  “Yup.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr here under [@lovethesnark](http://lovethesnark.tumblr.com). 
> 
> Fanfiction Website  
> MOST of my fic is not on AO3, though all of my H5O and beyond is as AO3 didn't exist yet and it was too much to archive. It can be found on my website at [LoveTheSnark.com](http://www.lovethesnark.com).


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